Abstract:
The brain has special significance in biology because it controls a lot of important functions. It also has importance for Maori although for very different reasons. My research integrates Western scientific and Maori ways of knowing and being to study brain diseases. Since Maori believe the head is extremely tapu (sacred/with restriction), we visited my tribe (Ngati Rangitihi) to obtain their permission to work with human brain tissue. At the suggestion of my tribal elders, we developed tikanga (customary practice) to be used in the laboratory to honor the sacred nature of the brain and to acknowledge the person. We integrated these customary practices into our cutting-edge scientific methods for growing human brain-derived cells (which we use to study neurodegenerative diseases and develop treatments). As an extension of this research we have also developed culturally-responsive clinical practices (in nursing, psychiatry and psychology) for working with Maori with Huntington’s disease, a genetic brain disorder characterized by progressive impairments in movement, thinking and emotions. I will also present about the FightHD project, a Maori-responsive brain plasticity-based training programme for Huntington’s disease which I developed with neuroplasticity pioneer Prof Mike Merzenich. Our research team are currently testing its efficacy in Maori with presymptomatic Huntington’s and their gene negative relatives. For this project we are working with Maori families from Ngati Porou, Ngati Awa, Te Arawa, Nga Puhi, Tainui, Maniapoto, Taranaki, Te Atiawa.